Dagnab it! I bought a gashog...

[oneinchsidehop]

After my old subaru was totaled I bought a Civic, which I loved until I tried to put my kids in it... bye bye Civic.

My Brother in Law had another Subie wagon that he was willing to let go of. It's a '96 (hello scangauge!, when I can afford it) and an automatic...

I don't know if you realize how many driving techniques go out the door with an auto. 4 tankfulls into the car and I'm dying, 21mpg. I got my old Subie up to 48 unmoddified. This one seems to get the same mpg at 65 as it does at 40.

What in the heck is wrong here?

[Project84]

I had a '97 Legacy GT. Combine that big 2.5L with AWD and it's gonna be tough getting good MPG IMHO. I averaged 23 mpg with mine, it was also automatic.

Gotta love convertible windows though... my favorite feature of Subies.

[oneinchsidehop]

Originally Posted by Project84

I had a '97 Legacy GT. Combine that big 2.5L with AWD and it's gonna be tough getting good MPG IMHO. I averaged 23 mpg with mine, it was also automatic.

Gotta love convertible windows though... my favorite feature of Subies.

Convertible windows? Do I have something cool that I don't know about?

[Mike T]

no window frames! Big deal, when the door is closed anyway

[SL8Brick]

Welcome to the mid-sized wagon dilemma...we sacrifice FE for utilitarian capacity. I'm in the FE same boat as your Subie, but at least you have AWD. The only exception I can think of is the VW Passat TDi Wagon and they're certainly not cheap.

[StorminMatt]

Originally Posted by oneinchsidehop

After my old subaru was totaled I bought a Civic, which I loved until I tried to put my kids in it... bye bye Civic.

Who says you have to have just one car? Why not get a Civic to use for commuting and other trips where you don't need to haul the entire family?

[kamesama980]

What was the old subaru? was it a FWD I4 subaru? that's the difference...AWD boxer 2.5 isn't for economy...

the autotragic might be sapping your power too. if it doesn't lock up till over a certain speed, you'll need to adjust your cruising speed to that. Check your air pressure too. general tune up: plugs, wires, cap, roter, synth. oil all around (don't forget the differentials (yes, plural)), filters, etc etc etc.

Is your new subaru a turbo version? it'll have the hood scoop if it is.

[oneinchsidehop]

Originally Posted by StorminMatt

Who says you have to have just one car? Why not get a Civic to use for commuting and other trips where you don't need to haul the entire family?

Right now my wallet says only one car... come summer that may change. I hope so at least.

[oneinchsidehop]

Originally Posted by kamesama980

What was the old subaru? '92 Legacy L wagon was it a FWD I4 subaru? that's the difference...Yep, it was a FWD. AWD boxer 2.5 isn't for economy...

the autotragic might be sapping your power too. if it doesn't lock up till over a certain speed, you'll need to adjust your cruising speed to that. It seems that lock up is about 60mph, overdrive is about 65mph. Check your air pressure too. pumped up to 55lbs, 10 over sidewall rating.

general tune up: plugs, wires, cap, roter, synth. oil all around (don't forget the differentials (yes, plural)), filters, etc etc etc. I think this might be part of it, esp the o2 sensors (2 of the things, $120 a piece ) I'm really wondering how much more I can hope for out of a heavy-ish wagon with a slushbox and the aerodynamics of a parachutte.

Is your new subaru a turbo version? it'll have the hood scoop if it is.Nah, just the common Legacy wagon.

Good points, I think a full tune up with o2 sensors is going to run me above $300 just for parts... if I only pick up 2-3mpg it'll take longer to hit break even than may be worth it. Parts on these things are expensive I'm finding out, and working on them doesn't look like a quick and easy task either.

I'm really hoping that there is more potential in the car than it seems right now, it is fairly nice to drive. But my Mercedes 260E got better mileage than this...

[101mpg]

IMO most of your FE woes are due to AWD and automatic. Honestly you'd be doing a lot better with FWD and standard, but I don't think Subaru makes anything but now, do they? If they do, they're rare enough I don't pay attention to it - all I see are Subaru AWD ads and vehicles.

You seriously might consider a swap to a different vehicle. It's rated like 24 MPG hwy MAX - and you can coast a little in neutral, and be slow on starts, but won't help you too too much.

For better FE, my recommendation is switch to a different vehicle. The good news is that the Subarus hold a LOT of value and you ought to even be able to get something newer than a 96 in a different model. Swapping your only ride can be difficult at best sometimes - I surely understand, but for 50% or better FE, I'd say get a new ride.